


The Devil's Gonna Make Me a Free Man

by Rated_E_for_Erin



Category: Hazbin Hotel (Web Series)
Genre: Alastor is in Hell for a Reason (Hazbin Hotel), Blood Kink, Blood Magic, Blood and Gore, Comfort/Angst, Constructive Criticism Welcome, Drug Use, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Forced Prostitution, Prostitution, Psychological Trauma, Rape/Non-con Elements, Slow Burn, Snuff, So thats fun, Torture, big trigger warning yall, no beta we die like men, reader gets stabbed for work
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:27:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28133163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rated_E_for_Erin/pseuds/Rated_E_for_Erin
Summary: Spitfire (or Laz, as her friends call her) is sick of Velvet, sick of work, and absolutely sick of Hell. In desperation, she turns to the Hazbin Hotel to escape the madness that is her reality when a certain Radio Demon takes interest in the snuff star.
Relationships: Alastor (Hazbin Hotel)/Original Character(s), Alastor (Hazbin Hotel)/Reader, Angel Dust/Husk (Hazbin Hotel), Charlie Magne/Vaggie
Comments: 25
Kudos: 88





	1. I Lose a Bit of Myself with Every Selfie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!!TRIGGER WARNING, TRIGGER WARNING, TRIGGER WARNING!!!  
> This fic contains graphic depictions of torture (both psychological and physical), rape/non-con, abuse and gore. If any of these are triggers for you, PLEASE do not continue.
> 
> This chapter specifically contains gore and blood.
> 
> ((Chapter title inspired by the song "Apologize" by Grandson))

The ground was so cold against your back and the spreading red wetness only provided a bit of extra warmth, which quickly cooled against the concrete. Your hearing had almost gone, shaky breath and intense heart-beat being at the fore-front and the merciless laughs of several men surrounding you acting as background noise. Like turning on a box fan to sleep at night.

It hurt. It was all pain. The kind of pain that made you feel, deep down, that you would never be normal again. Your new reality was only this. Only the laughing and the cold of the concrete.

"Let's give 'er one more, boys. Whaddya say?"

You didn't register that one of them had sidled up to stand over you, all you could see was the fluorescent light above you, blurring in and out of existence. It was white too. Just like the noise and the cold and the pain. And for a moment the white looked back at you, glinting off of a device used for your own torture. A simple knife.

When he kneeled down beside you, that didn't register either. What did register was the cool metal inches from your already slashed abdomen.

And then it all came rushing back. All the sounds, all the taste of iron, every twitch of your aching muscles and every instinct screamed for this to be over. Your hand shot out to grip the arm of your torturer, nails curling in to bite his flesh. But he didn't flinch. He just smiled as you snarled up at his ugly face.

And then it was all red.

You screamed, only knowing the slice of the knife as he cut from the bottom of your sternum all the way down, down, down. You could feel the sharp edge pierce through all organs and vibrate against your spine.

But finally, finally it was going to be over.

"Cut!"

You felt your senses returning as an assistant rushed over and poured a thick liquid into your mouth. The pain dulled and ebbed.

"The fuck was that Jeff? You didn't even say your line!" The director barked.

Your co-star bristled (literally, as he was a hyena-headed devil) and started arguing with the director over lines.

If someone had asked you five years ago what you saw yourself doing in the future, the answer would not have been "making snuff films in Hell."

"God damn it," You muttered as the assistant, who's name you hadn't had a chance to catch, helped you up and put a robe over your shoulders. They had ripped your favorite pair of lingerie in the shoot. Blood and minor tears you could take care of, but they'd cut a line clean through one of the breasts. No way you could fix that without the stitching being obvious.

"That was incredible Miss Spitfire!" The assistant fawned over you, clasping her paws together "Oh, when you spit blood into his eye after he slashed you! You were so beautiful!"  
You grimaced. These suck-up types were not your favorite and were usually just as weird as the creeps who bought the films.

"Thanks," You pulled the sleeves over your arms, wrapping the robe tightly around you and deciding not to stick around.

"Ay, you're done for the day, Spitfire. Lady Velvet wanted to see you, though." The director nonchalantly waved towards you, "Where the fuck you think you're goin' Jeff?! You ain't off the hook!"

You slipped into the dressing room which was accompanied with a few rows of showers and began washing your own blood off of yourself.

These kinds of days were always hard. Sure, getting stabbed and slashed was your 'normal" but it never made things any easier. You sighed, trying to get a bloody matte out of your hair and wondered what Velvet could possibly want.

As far as you could tell, you were doing everything right. Coming in to work on time, not complaining, and hell, you were even getting sort of along with your coworkers. As along as you can get with a dickhead paid to torture you on camera anyways.

Your brows furrowed, wondering if she had made some sort of deal with Valentino again. You hated when she did that. An involuntary shiver made its way up your spine, remembering all the shady figures you had let hurt you (off camera) for money. You had an awful feeling that today was about to get worse as you dried off your hair.

~~~~~

Velvet's office made you uncomfortable. There were no windows and you wouldn't doubt the walls were thoroughly noise proofed. You had played your cards right and Velvet had never hurt you, thank lucifer. Although the doll demon may have seemed sweet and innocent on the outside, you knew. You could just feel the bloodlust radiate off of her, she didn't need to say anything for you to understand that she could do much worse than the boys in the studio.

She was currently lounging in front of you, scrolling through her phone excitedly. You were either about to get very good or vey bad news.

"Look, look, look!! Our engagement is through the roof! I knew that photoshoot would be a hit! Almost two million likes!"

You assumed whatever she was talking about had absolutely nothing to do with you, but smiled anyways. Lady Velvet was excitable and easily distracted, interactions like this were not uncommon.

"Fucking hell! This is amazing, Daz!"

"Laz," You corrected. It was rare that people used anything other than your work name, 'Spitfire'. In fact, the only person who ever seemed to use it was her and she always got it wrong. You wouldn't be entirely surprised if she did it on purpose to degrade you.

Ignoring your correction, she turned on the sofa so that her phone screen faced the both of you, sticking her tongue out and making a peace sign.

"Never miss an opportunity for a photo!" She always said.

You quickly tried to position yourself to look good, legs crossed with on arm leaning on the chair and one resting on your lap. Velvet snapped the photo and finally, finally sat her phone in her lap.

"Now-" She gave you a smile, clasping her hands together "I've got some very good news for you!"

Bad news it is then, you thought, never dropping your smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been wanting to write a Hazbin fic for a while and I'm finally getting around to it. 
> 
> This is my first time writing in second person so please bear with me!! It felt kind of awkward at first but i think i'm getting the hang of it. The whole (y/n) thing has always been a pet peeve of mine (no judgment to those who write that way, just not my flavor) so there will be none of that. Reader is an actual character with a name (a couple actually lol) and a design. I know people like to read these as wish fulfillment (me too sis) but I find it more jarring to see (y/n) or (e/c) than I do to read the characters name or eye color. 
> 
> Anyways! I hope you enjoy this ride with me! Stay tuned...


	2. The Pretty Lies, The Ugly Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laz has a bad day at work

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!!TRIGGER WARNING, TRIGGER WARNING, TRIGGER WARNING!!!  
> This fic contains graphic depictions of torture (both psychological and physical), rape/non-con, abuse and gore. If any of these are triggers for you, PLEASE do not continue.
> 
> This chapter specifically contains violence and sexual assault.
> 
> ((Chapter title inspired by the song "Teen Idle" by Marina))

Your hand shook as you brought the cigarette to your mouth, inhaling deeply and trying to process.

  
You hadn't liked it when Velvet smiled and said there was good news. You hadn't liked it when you were informed that Valentino had a customer for you. You hadn't liked it when you arrived at the address, an old run down place. And you definitely did not like that you couldn't understand what the fuck had just happened.

  
45 MINUTES EARLIER

  
This part of Pentagram City was run down, that was for sure. You witnessed 7 robberies, 5 stabbings, 4 assaults and a shoot out on the way to your client. Not that anybody was counting. You felt relieved that you had called a taxi instead of walking.

  
Stilettoes clicked against pavement as you made your way to the door, double checking the note scrawled in Valentino's hand. You did a double take when you looked up from the note.

  
They couldn't be serious.

  
You weren't usually judgmental but god damn. The panels on the apartment were hanging on by a thread and underneath them termites and maggots and Lucifer knows what squirmed. Rats scurried in and out from under the porch, staring blankly with small beady eyes. But the worst thing was the smell.

  
You were used to the smell of a lot of awful things (it was Hell, after all) but this place smelled completely of rot. If someone had later asked you to describe it, you would describe it as such:

  
Take a tuna fish sandwich and chuck it in a sewer. Let marinate for approximately 3 years. Preheat the oven and throw a whole onion in that bitch along with the sandwich, cook for 30 minutes. Let cool before serving.

  
That was about how bad it was. You covered your mouth reflexively, willing yourself not to ruin your new coat by vomiting on it.

  
You mentally cursed Valentino. Whoever this was that had requested you better have been paying a lot of money.

  
You considered up and leaving, very briefly. There were a lot of things you would do. You would let people cut, slash, tear, rip, maim and generally harm your body for the right price. You had watched people drink your blood, eat parts of your flesh and literally lick your insides. But this was... Was this really worth it?

  
You remembered your old coworker. Lovely girl, but naïve. She had once refused to be handed over to a client of Valentino's. After that, you heard rumors about her but never heard from her. So you decided, no. This specifically was not worth it but it was worth not being at the mercy of the Triple V.

  
You sighed, breathing only through your mouth and not through your nose.

  
"It is what it is."

  
The inside of the place was not as bad, you found. The client wasn't _good_ by any sense of the word, some sleazy looking toad demon with a lazy eye and a thin, dirty looking moustache. You stepped past him into the hall. The place was small and not the cleanest but it was better than being outside. The smell was less potent in here. He shut the door.

  
_At least I don't have to sleep with him_ , you thought, thankful that your agreement with Velvet only meant a bit of blood and no sexual favors.  
At least that's what it was supposed to be.

  
"Where do you want me, love?" While most customer service voices would be polite and eager, yours was all sultry. Or scared. Depended on what the client was into.  
It was all very simple, your boss had explained, some light bondage and a lot of the usual work. Usual work meaning a lot of pain.

  
There were very, very few demons willing to go into the snuff industry and around 90% joined to inflict pain, not receive. And those few who did receive, did not particularly enjoy the pain. They went to extremes to prevent it. Numbing creams, drugs, blood magic, you name it. You, however, preferred to be fully aware. Were you a masochist? Definitely. But by Lucifer, if it didn't work in your favor.

  
It hadn't taken long to shimmy of your coat and allow the demon to tie your wrists to some already prepared ropes hanging from the wall in what you assumed to be a living room.

  
And then it began. It was all normal shit, couple of knifes, scalpels, blunt objects. You pretended to fight back, they liked it when you did that, Its how you got your stage name. But you could tell this guy was a rookie and the whole time you had to feign rehabilitating pain. And then you became slightly worried when he started getting more touchy, his hands wandered more and you could smell his disgusting breath when he went in for a cut or a stab. Finally, after his hand had wandered a bit too close to the one area that you absolutely did not want him to touch, you spoke.

  
"I'm not a prostitute. I suggest you stop touching me like that."

  
Your voice had gone completely level, no longer a smooth sexy tone. You didn't have a problem with putting these creeps in their place.

  
But he ignored you, turning to his devices of torture.

  
"Did you hear me?"

  
"Shut up, bitch." He turned back to you, a strange piece of metal in his hand.

  
You cocked an eyebrow. Wander across boundaries and stepping back when being told to was fine, but you weren't going to allow someone to keep crossing them. One more strike and he was out.

  
You went back to your act and then something downright strange happened.

  
He stabbed the metal object into your side, which wasn't weird at all. What was weird was how _cold_ it was and hot at the same time. It was like someone had froze your veins and immediately put a lighter beneath them.

  
The blood pounded in your ears and suddenly your pain wasn't feigned but real. Completely and truly _real_ and it was about the worst you had ever felt. Your scream pierced the room like a banshee and instinct took over.

  
Your leg shot out, landing squarely on the demons chest and rocketing him to the other side of the room, taking the shard of metal with him. 

  
"You _motherfucke_ r! What was that?!" You shouted, in absolute panic. But he didn't respond. You seemed to have completely knocked him out.

  
You did not want to stick around waiting for the fucker to wake up, so you quickly used your claws to cut the rope. Immediately after freeing yourself, you grabbed your purse and coat. Standing in the hallway you shuffled through the random items inside of it until finally picking out a bottle and downing the contents.

  
You sighed and waited.

  
And waited.

  
And waited.

  
To your absolute _horror_ , everything healed except for the wound on your side, which was still bleeding profusely.

  
Suddenly, your instinct told you to duck. So you ducked, wincing as you held a palm to your side.

  
A large arm came swinging above you, the metal in hand.

  
"You're gonna pay for that, slut!"

  
You shot up, taking his arm in one hand and drawing blood with your carefully sharpened claws. With one swift motion, you brought your other hand out, forcing his own tool of torment into his chest, by his own hand. Blood spattered on your face and new coat as you stood there, waiting for his next move. But he didn't move, he was wild eyed with panic so you made the last move, sweeping his feet out from over him.

  
You breathed shallowly, pupils constricted into single pinpoints of light as you watched.

  
He didn't move, his limbs going slack.

  
PRESENT

  
It was all _fucked_. You couldn't do this anymore. All of Hell seemed to be against you. Tears started rolling down your face as you took another puff of your cigarette, now sitting in your apartment.

  
That pain... It hadn't been like anything you'd ever felt before. It was completely new, and horrible and, and-

  
_A bit exciting._

  
You scowled, putting the cigarette out.

  
Your nimble hands pulled the comfy t-shirt you had changed into to reveal the newly-bandaged wound. At least it had stopped bleeding. You sighed, letting go of the hem and trying to relax in your chair.

  
This had to stop. None of it was safe. You had decided to work under Velvet for security and now- now you had a puncture wound the size of a softball on your side that wasn't healing with her potions. But how would you escape? None of the Triple V just dropped their toys without a fight. Especially when they were under contract.

  
You can feel the tears welling up again when a commercial come on the TV.

  
It's an advertisement for a place you've heard about before on the news. Some rich kids pipe dream.

  
You think in silence for a moment, weighing your options. Finally, a small smile spreads on your face as you decide, yes, this will do.

  
~~~~

  
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN MISSING?!" Velvet screamed on the other end of the phone.

  
"Velvet, baby, calm down. You know I'd never let any of your merchandise get lost." Valentino's voice was always sickly sweet "Looks like our little Spitfire just went haywire."

  
"She is my most viewed snuff star! She has hundreds of _thousands_ of hits!"

  
"Find her, Val." The doll demon growled "Or you will owe me- _big time_!"

  
He scowled as he hung up the phone and stepped around the body of the toad demon and made his way outside, carefully handling the cloth wrapped item he had found. After muttering a location to his driver and getting settled in the limousine- he unwrapped the item, admiring the cool blue steel.

  
"Well-" he cooed "Haven't seen angel steel in a long, long time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! All that setup is out of the way and we can get to the juicy stuff. Stay tuned...
> 
> ((Chapter title inspired by the song "Teen Idle" by Marina))


	3. All the Best People are Crazy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laz makes some new acquaintances

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!!TRIGGER WARNING, TRIGGER WARNING, TRIGGER WARNING!!!  
> This fic contains graphic depictions of torture (both psychological and physical), rape/non-con, abuse and gore. If any of these are triggers for you, PLEASE do not continue.
> 
> This chapter specifically, however, does not contain any such triggers.
> 
> ((Chapter title inspired by the song "Mad Hatter" by Melanie Martinez))

You felt a peculiar sense of dread when you exited the taxi, wondering if this was the right choice or if you were about to land yourself in deeper shit.

It was the most strange hotel you had ever seen even considering that strangeness is not uncommon in Hell. The place was absolutely massive. You could count at least 10 floors before getting lost in trying to figure out if all of the odd adjoining pieces also conformed to the floor count. You decided to not think to hard about it. It could have been considered a very well to do place in your eyes if not for three things:

1.) The sign at the very tippy top of the building exclaimed "HAZBIN HOTEL"  
That in of itself was not a red flag but you couldn't help but feel a slither of doubt crawl it's way up your spine. It had, on the commercial, been advertised as the Happy Hotel. Why would they be running the commercial under one name and have the place be called something completely different? Seemed a bit suspicious to you.

2.) The place looked abandoned.  
While you weren't opposed to staying in less accommodating spaces, and had many times (in fact, your last apartment had large, swollen spots of water damage on the ceiling and a small mass of mold in the bathroom that would not go away no matter how hard you tried to kill it.) You would be lying if you said it wasn't at all creepy. It's not that it was particularly dirty. Actually, it was fairly obvious that someone went to painful extent to wipe every window, clean all debris from the from patio and polish the random bits of railing and fencing that sat at the edge of the balconies. No, it was actually spotless. You supposed it was the design of the place that was unwelcoming to you. You could see not only a locomotive just perched on the edge of a jutting roof, you could also see a ship that had been turned with its nose to the sky and a literal carosel seemingly built right into the top floor. What kind of psychopath builds something like this?

3.) The place reeked of blood magic.  
There was one blessing (or more likely, curse) you were given when landing in Hell and that was an acute sense of smell. If someone was to ask "what exactly does blood magic smell like?" you would say something along the lines of "iron and wrath." Sure, you could sense all types of magic (and all types of stench, unfortunately) with your gift but blood magic particularly set off the alarm bells and this was _strong_.

It wasn't the building itself that smelled of it. Rather it was something inside and you really did not want to find out exactly who or what radiated it like a foul aura.

You sighed, smoothing your hair and considered, fleetingly, if you could turn right around and go back to your life. But you gulped as you remembered that you had just maimed a client. Velvet and Valentino's wrath would surely not be short-lived. Not to mention that you just couldn't do it anymore.

So what else could you do besides swallow your pride and pull the large decorated doors open?

The inside wasn't so bad, ornately decorated and very clean. But also very dead, it seemed. You shut the door behind you, feeling that sense of dread again. You couldn't exactly explain it if you tried, but it was as if the walls were watching you. Like something was waiting in the shadows to grab you. You'd never been very jumpy but it was just...

 _Unsettling_ , you thought as you made you way down the short hall into a large room.

To your left was a roaring fireplace and to your right was what looked like a bar. Finally your eyes caught a pair of mismatched ones. He was leaning against the bar, very pink, with a confused look on his face. Hold on...

"Angel Dust?!"

"Spitfia'?!" 

You'd said it in unison, both extremely surprised to see each other. You quickly scurried your way over, feeling immediately relieved to see a familiar face.

"What are you doing here?"

"Could ask you the same thing, toots!" The spider demon sat a bit straighter, flashing his signature gold tooth as he gave you a grin.

"I'd heard you'd shacked up in some weird place up-town, but I had no idea you were here!"

"Can ya' keep it the fuck down?" Someone grunted from behind the counter.

You jumped a bit, not realizing you weren't alone. Looking past Angel, you could see the figure, slumped over face-down on the counter, a bottle of cheap booze resting beside him. He was very gray and winged, with a few bits of red accenting fur.

Angel waved a hand, "Ignore Husky, 'es just hungover."

"So!" Angel grabbed your hands, ushering you to take a seat on the barstool beside him "You gotta tell me whatcha doin' here! I ain't seen a fellow professional in weeks. How's the biz?"

"Oh! Well..." You hesitated for a moment, considering what all you should tell him "Business is um... business I guess."

 _Wow_ , you internally berated yourself, _great interaction. Truly engaging. Good job, Laz._

You crossed your legs, leaning your arm on the bar to support your neck and sighing.

"You know how things are, Angel."

He looks uncomfortable for a moment, shifting in his seat. Angel Dust was not known for being very in-touch with empathy and emotions.

"I just need a place to stay for a while," You change the subject "Lay low, you know?"

"Yea' I know whatcha mean, babe."

There's a thick pause of silence.

"Man," He sighs, leaning back "another lady. When we gonna get some more dick around 'ere?"

"Angel Dust!" You laugh, playfully shoving him.

"I'm jus' sayin!"

"Are you gonna fuckin' order somethin' or just sit there and bother me with yer' yellin'?" It was the demon behind the counter again. You turned your neck to get another look at him and found he was now looking at you, intensely grumpy. You raised an eyebrow as you studied at his catlike features.

"Who pissed in your cheerios'?"

'Husky' as Angel had called him, didn't answer your quip and instead gave you a disgusted looking scowl. Tough crowd.

"I don't drink, thanks."

"Yer' fuckin' loss." He muttered, going back to his face down position.

"So," You said, turning in your seat back to Angel "Who do I talk to to check in?"

The spider demon looked at you and a small smile spread on his face before he muttered a 'watch this.'

"AY, CHARLIE, WE GOT ONE!"

You nearly jumped out of your seat when a door exploded open from behind of angel and a blur of white rocketed towards you. The only thing that prevented you from doing so was that the figure had caught you in a tight hug.

"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh! I'msoexcitedtomeetyouIjust _knew_ we'dhaveanewcustomeranyday!-" The thing exclaimed.

"Woah there, Charles, I think you're suffocating the poor broad!" Angel laughed.

Suddenly, you could breathe again as the thing let you go. After panting a bit from loss of air and sudden panic, you looked up.

It was not a thing but a woman. A very excited woman with rosy red cheeks and what looked like a button nose. You could practically see the stars in her eyes as she looked at you, hands clasped and bouncing up and down on her heels.

"Charlie, Spitfire. Spitfire, Charlie." Angel waved nonchalantly.

"Call me Laz, please." You held a hand out which she promptly took and pulled towards herself.

"Laz! So nice to meet you, I'm Charlie!" Damn, the girl was strong, practically about to pull your arm out of it's socket as she shook "Welcome to the Happy Hotel! Hell's premier rehabilitation center!"

She promptly let go of your hand is raised her arms as if motioning to the grandeur of the place.

"Thanks." You muttered. You couldn't help but smile just a little bit. She was excitable- not like Velvet but like... Well, you couldn't exactly place it. You supposed it was most like a wonder-filled child on Christmas and not a sociopathic rich kid with her eyes on the next toy she could ruin.

You noticed another woman follow up behind her. She had long flowing white hair, adorned with a pink bow. You couldn't help but notice the slight frown on her face.

"Oh, this is Vaggie!" Charlie pulled the demon up beside her, holding her shoulder. Vaggie gave you a small wave.

"Oh my gosh!" You heard a squeaky voice exclaim from the hall "There's dirt all over the carpet! Nope!"

You looked towards the hall and watched as a little demon made her way in, cleaning like an absolute maniac as she went. It clicked why everything was so tidy.

"Oh my gosh! I didn't know we had a new guest!" The kid (you were guessing she was a kid from her mannerisms) was an absolute whirlwind.

"Hi! I'm Nifty!"

"What's your name?"

"Why are you dressed like that?"

"Sorry, that was rude! Are you here to work? I could use some help!"

"What's in here?"

Your head was spinning from all the questions that she didn't give you the chance to answer. You noticed her looking through the pockets on your duffle bag.

"Clothes, mostly." You responded simply "And I'm Laz, kid. Nice to meet you."

You bent down to shake her hand and she excitedly took it.

"I'm so happy to make a new friend!"

You smiled, everyone here seemed so friendly and kind and...

Your smile dropped for a moment when you stood straight again, as a seed of doubt entered you heart. _This is some sort of trick_ , you thought. No one in Hell was nice just for the sake of it. You looked back to Angel for reassurance but he was leaned over the bar making some sort of flirty remark to Husk. Angel Dust had always been kind to you when you ran into him at work. Surely he would let you know if this was some sort of nefarious trap.

You sighed, letting a reassured smile creep back on your face as you turned back towards the group. Charlie hadn't stopped going on about the hotel, Vaggie still pressed at her side. Nifty was now dashing around the room, cleaning an already spotless room. You felt like maybe, just _maybe_ , this would work.

And then it all shifted.

It was like a nuke had went off, centralized to just the Hotel. The dread had returned, burrowing a hole in your stomach. Your breath hitched as your heart rate went wild. Every nerve was firing to _run. Now._

"Are you okay Laz?" Charlie had approached, laying a hand on your shoulder.

Did she not feel it? Could she not hear the ringing that you did? No, no, it wasn't ringing. It was something more like static. Could she not _smell_ it?

Iron and wrath.

" _Well, well, well!_ " You winced as the voice sliced through the static like a hot knife through butter "Look what the cat dragged in!"

What had you gotten yourself into?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so, HOLY SHIT! I was expecting like 20 hits and maybe a kudos or two but oh my god you guys have blown my freaking mind and i've only posted a couple of chapters! Thank you so much for reading, I appreciate it so much!!
> 
> This chapter was really fun to write, as I prefer dialogue. I was expecting it to be super hard to figure out the dialogue and to write the characters but I think it actually came out pretty easy and pretty okay? I made a playlist of songs that I can associate with this and I think its helping a bunch. Instead of thinking "ok should this or this happen?" my brain just kinda goes. Im riding this high of motivation while I can lol
> 
> I've found I have to google like really basic information sometimes when writing lol like I couldnt remember the word for the front car of a train cause my brain was just like "caboose, caboose, caboose" Locomotive was the word I was looking for I found aha
> 
> As for the MC's acute sense of smell, that was kind of accidental. I had I very specific way I wanted her to react and eventually came up with the idea that she can smell magic. Its like a really shitty superpower! But I figured it was also a good tie in for the previous chapter. Fun fact: Soul magic smells like rain and sorrow.
> 
> Anyways! Thank you again for reading, I'm so happy you've decided to come on this wild ride with me! Stay tuned...
> 
> ((Chapter title inspired by the song "Mad Hatter" by Melanie Martinez))


	4. The Devils in the Next Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laz meets a certain Overlord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!!TRIGGER WARNING, TRIGGER WARNING, TRIGGER WARNING!!!  
> This fic contains graphic depictions of torture (both psychological and physical), rape/non-con, abuse and gore. If any of these are triggers for you, PLEASE do not continue.
> 
> This chapter specifically, however, does not contain any such triggers.
> 
> ((Chapter title inspired by the song "Devil" by Shinedown))

If you were to take a walk down main street in Pentagram City, it would be almost impossible to miss the posters that were plastered on early every alley wall.

'BEWARE' They all exclaimed as though they were some kind of wild west wanted posters. You had never paid them all that much mind, considering you hadn't planned on meeting anymore overlords since you started working for the Triple V. But now you could see them all very clearly in your mind.

'BEWARE THE RADIO DEMON'

Your chest burned and your ears rang. Never had you sensed blood magic like this. It was utterly disorienting. The world blurred around you as you considered your next move. Cut and run? Seemed the best plan.

"Laz?"

"Ay, Spitfia', you on a bad trip there or something?"

You sucked in a breath as you realized that it was dissipating. The feeling of dread was slinking out of your system like a tendril of shadow. You could hear again, the ringing had stopped but the quiet white noise of static remained. You hadn't felt yourself go slack-jawed but quickly snapped it shut. Still the smell remained.

He was very red, dressed in all manners of crimsons and scarlets. Two small antlers poked out from his red hair. Skin that was gray as a corpse. It's like he had appeared out of thin air, standing just beside the fireplace. But what unsettled you was the grin on his face.

"It's rude to stare, my dear!"

You went wide eyed as you realized he was addressing you.

You mumbled something of an apology and averted your eyes quickly back to Charlie. Why the fuck was the Radio Demon here of all places? The worst part was no one reacted. Everyone acted as though this was completely _fine_ and _normal_ , like one of the most powerful Overlords in Hell didn't just stroll through the front door.

But it was not fine or normal, especially when he grabbed your hand to spin you back towards him. How the fuck did he cross the room so fast? You hadn't even heard him move. You reflexively pulled your arm back.

"And what might your name be?" 

Your eyebrows furrowed. He towered over you, leaning too close. You willed yourself not to step back, not wanting to look afraid or weak. You had learned from experience that showing weakness was the quickest way to become a target. Why was he talking to you? Why the fuck was he here?

"They call me Spitfire." For some reason the idea of him calling you by your casual name made you deeply uncomfortable.

He laughed and so did others. But looking around the room, no one else was actually laughing. You realized it was coming from him.

"No, no, no, I didn't ask what they called you! I asked for your name, little darling!"

_This is too much_ , you thought, _I wanted to get away from one overlord and ran straight into another_. Maybe you could treat this situation how you did all situations. You sucked in a breath and put on your work smile, lowering your tone.

_Okay_ , you thought, _I'll play nice_.

"Laz," you breathed a half-truth "And what can I call you, Red?"

You heard Angel spit out his drink from behind you and laugh, obnoxiously slamming the table with his fist. Charlie laughed too, a bit more hesitantly. You grimaced as you turned your head to look at the fit Angel was throwing. The spider demon looked like he was about to cry from laughing. Meanwhile, Charlie looked uncomfortable and Vaggie absolutely _mortified_.

_Too much! Too much!_ You berated yourself. _Reel it back, Laz. Jesus. You're trying to get out of this alive, not fuck the guy._

You felt fingers on you chin as he moved your head to look back to him. The first shot of panic came when he touched you and the second came when you looked in his eyes. He didn't look angry or upset, no that would have been a mercy compared to the absolutely predatory look that he gave. A look that said _'I can and will eat you alive, right here and now.'_

The Radio Demon's red eyes flashed over your features, studying you. You were about to smack away his hand when it hit you.

It was coming from _him_. The intense smell of blood magic radiated off of him like an aura. You probably should have realized that before but everything was happening so fast.

And then, just like that, he let go as if he hadn't been sizing you up.

"Alastor! Pleasure to meet you, sweetheart!"

You had expected a handshake and found yourself most unpleasantly surprised when he instead bent at the hip and kissed your hand.

_Whathefuckwhatthefuckwhatthefuck_

You willed yourself to smile, albeit strained when he returned to his full height.

A second, much more gentle hand found its way on your shoulder. You snapped your head towards the perpetrator with a _crack_ , an act that wouldn't be half as violent if you weren't under such distress. Charlie stared back at you, a nervous smile adorning her gentle features.

_My knight in shining armor,_ you thought pulling your hand from the Radio Demon's clawed grasp. For less than a millisecond before your small hand had escaped his you could _swear_ that you felt him tense, trying to dig his very sharp claws into your delicate skin. But you didn't really have the time to process that as Charlie pulled you away from him.

"Let's get you settled." Her voice was calm and light. 

  
~~~~

  
Your room was small but quaint. The carpet was a deep crimson, contrasted by the golden cream wallpaper decorated with floral patterns. The four poster bed was large and extremely comfortable-looking. To the left of the bed was a window and to the right was an open door leading into a bathroom.

"Here we are!" Charlie bounced excitedly beside the door as you inspected the room. Vaggie had insisted on carrying the largest of your bags and followed you inside.

"Wow," You breathed "This is... really nice." You could feel a small smile creep onto your lips.

"We're gonna let you get settled down but if you need anything, Vaggie and I are right down the hall!"

You sat your bags on the floor gently and made your way back to Charlie, taking her hands in your own.

"Thank you."

She seemed absolutely astonished by the gesture, stars practically exploding from her eyes.

You said your goodbyes to her and she promptly made her leave. You turned, readying yourself to get unpacked and realized that Vaggie still stood awkwardly in the middle of your new room.

"Um-" The white-haired demon started, trying to figure out what she was going to say.

"Ah shit, sorry. Here, lemme take that." You gingerly took the large bag from her and turned to start unpacking it into the large wardrobe beside the bathroom door. But as you unpacked, she still idled in the room. You internally shrugged.

"Hey," Vaggie said "I just wanted to give you fair warning-"

You furrowed your brows and stood.

"Fair warning?"

The white haired demon rubbed the back of her neck uncomfortably, "You should stay away from the Radio Demon."

At this you laughed, openly and unabashedly.

"Sweetheart, you couldn't pay me to spend anymore time with that smiley creep than I have to." The smile had returned as you shrugged "And you can pay me to do _a lot_ of things."

"Right." She smiled too, a bit reassured and made her way out after bidding you goodnight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank ya'll so much for reading and commenting :,) I've kinda been going through it lately so i guess this is my way of escaping that. I hadn't really expected people to actually like what I was writing so you can imagine my surprise aha but i really do appreciate the encouragement, its helping a lot with motivation. Very short chapter today but don't worry! More coming soon.
> 
> Thank you for reading! Stay tuned...
> 
> ((Chapter title inspired by the song "Devil" by Shinedown))


	5. I'm Not Your Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laz needs a sewing kit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!!TRIGGER WARNING, TRIGGER WARNING, TRIGGER WARNING!!!  
> This fic contains graphic depictions of torture (both psychological and physical), rape/non-con, abuse and gore. If any of these are triggers for you, PLEASE do not continue.
> 
> This chapter specifically, however, does not contain any such triggers.
> 
> ((Chapter title inspired by the song "therefore i am" by Billie Eilish))
> 
> (Edit 2/18/21)  
> Laz’s look has been updated in accordance to canon! I’d like to thank ABitterRabbit for helping me in the design!! Show them some love, ya’ll <3

You sighed, exhaling smoke softly. It had taken an hour or so to unpack all of your clothes and find a place for your personal items. Now that it was all taken care of, you had opened the window in your room and opted to get your nicotine fix before going to bed. You had hesitated in lighting your cigarette, wondering if smoking was even allowed. There had been no mention of it. But, you rationalized, if it was not allowed and someone decided to scold you for it, you could defend yourself by simply saying you hadn't known. So there you were, elbows resting on the window-sill, appreciating the small bit of peace you had been allowed in the middle of this chaos stricken world.

Peace was an exceedingly rare thing in Hell, as anyone could imagine. There was always something going down. Always a deal being made, always someone being a disturbance, always a fight, you name it. But at the moment it was exceptionally quiet, save for the distant sounds of down-town Pentagram city. You took the time to contemplate the odd position you had been put in, face immediately scrunching up in thought.

It should have been a _normal_ gig. Not fun by any means, it was never fun or anywhere near good. But Velvet had always, always promised you safety and security as long as you did what you were told and you had always done what you were told. So why did it go wrong today?

Your hand wandered idly to your side where you could still feel the wound sting slightly. Why hadn't it healed? Velvet was known as being a skilled alchemist and her potions had never not worked. The security of her 'investments' required them to work. If word got out that her skills had faltered in a time of need, her reputation would be out the window.

It wasn't like you would have _died_. Demons couldn't die from a simple wound, let alone blood-loss. But pain was a primal fear, the number one reason that there were so few actors and professionals in the field willing to do what you did. There are (especially in Hell) fates worse than death.

You pulled your hand back from the wound when you suddenly felt a warm wetness. Your jaw-dropped, unbelieving. Your hand was dripping with your own red blood. How the hell were you still bleeding?

"God-damn it." You muttered after snapping your jaw shut. It had bled right through your tank top. After smashing your cigarette on the window sill and wiping your hand on a dry part of your shirt (it was already ruined so why bother staining a towel,) you made your way to the bathroom.

You flipped the light on and turned towards the large mirror over the sink, carefully peeling the shirt off.

You looked like most succubus, with deep magenta skin, a tail and long horns that started at the crown of your head, curling back at a 90-degree angle about halfway up the horn. You could almost be mistaken for one if not for your lack of wings and eyes. Your jet-black hair was long, curly and an absolute _pain_ for you to deal with. The sclera of your eyes which should and would be white, if you were not a demon, were instead a deep void-like black. Your pupil took on that same shade but were shaped like hearts instead of the usual semblance of a circle. Meanwhile, your iris was a similar shade to your skin, if not a bit more saturated. Another giveaway that you were, in fact, not a succubus but a sinner. Underneath your right eye, just on the cheekbone was something like a birthmark. It was small, black and delicate. A teardrop, the trademark of Spitfire.

You threw the soaked shirt into the tub, deciding to try and salvage it with some cold water after you had dealt with the wound. A grimace tugged at your lips as you inspected your torso. The client had stabbed just below your ribs, the laceration angled down towards your pelvis. You were sure it would heal eventually but the problem was that it was very, very deep.

Okay, you didn't _think_ you would die, at least.

A hiss escaped your clenched teeth as you prodded a bit at it. You'd never encountered such a problematic injury. It's not that it hurt that bad, you we're used to shocking amounts of pain. It's that Velvets potion hadn't worked.

You were going to need stitches, you surmised. But you didn't have a sewing kit at the moment. You had thrown everything in bags so hastily, only taking essential and sentimental items. Charlie would probably have one you figured.

After gently wrapping your torso and running some cold water over the now stained shirt, you threw on a new one and made your way to Charlie's room. She had been very welcoming when she opened the door. After asking for a sewing kit, she happily retrieved hers for you and you were making your way back to your room. It was a short walk. It should have been uneventful.

You had noticed that the smell of blood magic lingered everywhere in the hotel. No doubt the doing of that Radio Demon. As you walked, inspecting the portraits in the hall, your mind wandered idly to Alastor. You truly hoped he didn't hang around the hotel that much, as his mere presence made you deeply uncomfortable. Like being stuck in a cage with a lion. You had heard many stories about him and more so, you had heard a few of his broadcasts with your own ears. They were... disturbing to say the least.

You remembered once when Velvet had called you to her office to discuss some new idea for a film and when you had entered you were surprised to find her sitting next to a radio, scowling. You had heard his voice and heard the screams before she shut the old thing off, irritated. The triple V had a strong distaste for the demon, you knew that much. You had heard rumor that Vox had been trying to take him down for years. But it seemed that video could not, in fact, kill the radio star. It was like-

Hold on...

You stopped dead in your tracks. Had those been footsteps behind you? 

You turned your head, pretending to inspect one of the paintings. You looked through peripheral vision to try and see if anyone was there without alerting them that you were aware of their presence. But you didn't see anything.

You could feel a frown settle on your lips and your eyebrows knit. Ever so gently and subtly, you dug around in the kit until finally your hand settled on the base of your prize. A pair of fabric scissors. Not the perfect weapon but it would do in a pinch. 

Finally, you snapped your head towards where you had come from, hand still in the kit as to not give away your only defense. You said nothing as you retraced your steps, looking for any sign that you were not alone.

Paranoia was not an uncommon habit with you. It was Hell, after all and you had to have your wits about you or very bad things could happen. You shuddered a bit at the thought that someone (or something) could be right around the corner, waiting to pounce.

But again, you saw nothing and heard nothing. You wondered if you were actually at your wits end due to stress. It wouldn't be the first time.

"Oh-kaaaay." You breathed. It was a way of comforting yourself. Saying 'that was fucking weird but it was nothing, I guess.'

You turned.

And then almost screamed.

Instead of screaming, your hand flew out of the kit, along with the scissors. They made a rapid arching movement and then swiftly came down onto your assailant. It was all entirely instinctual. But they never made contact, never even came close. 

Your breath was quick, blood pounding in your ears as you tried to make sense of why your hand had stopped.

It had caught you.

Or rather, you realized in horror, _he_ had caught you. You stared up at the Radio Demon, eyes wide as you processed the situation.

A clawed hand wrapped around your delicate wrist which was attached to the hand that still held your weapon. _Holy fuck._

_You had just tried to stab the Radio Demon._

"Jesus-" You dropped the scissors and snatched your hand back, surprised he hadn't held onto it with an iron grip, " _Christ_."

Oh god, oh fuck, this was bad.

Your hands flew over your heart, trying to calm down from the panic. He made a humming sound and you peered up at him. He didn't look angry. In fact, his usual grin was now lipped and he was tapping a finger on his chin thoughtfully.

"No, I don't think I am." Alastor made a face like he had just cracked a really good joke.

Was this guy for real?!

"Are you trying to fucking kill me?!" You were panting from the adrenaline that had played at your senses. "Actually-" You held a hand up in a stop motion as he opened his mouth "Don't answer that." You had a horrible feeling that if he was, he would answer honestly and you did not want to know if you were soon to face your demise.

"Why, I was simply coming to check on our newest guest!" You noticed how his hands flew this way and that when he spoke. Very animated. "When you so rudely assaulted me." He said it in a matter-of-fact, smug way, finally placing his hands behind his back, microphone resting in the crook of his elbow.

"Assault you?!" This guy couldn't be serious "You snuck up on me!"

Your mouth was agape, not being able to grasp the situation. At least he wasn't mauling you to death or something, you supposed. But still, he looked all too pleased with himself as though this was exactly the reaction he wanted.

"My dear, it's not my fault if your hearing isn't up to par!" You smacked his hand away when he tugged gently on your pointed ear.

You hated that. And you hated being called 'my dear' as though the two of you were on any kind of friendly standing.

"My hearing is fine, Red." You scowled, standing at full height now that your nerves would allow it. He was still taller than you by about a foot.

He shrugged, stupid impish grin still plastered on his stupid gray face.

"Allow me to escort you to you room, darling!" Alastor did not give you a choice in the matter as he pulled you in and pressed you to his side. You did not pull away for the fact that you were shocked. You had just tried to stab the fucking Radio Demon. If you had tried something like that on Velvet-

You shivered at the thought.

Even though it was not your fault and had been completely instinct, you would have expected him to subject you to some cruel torture as one of the Triple V would have. But as you peered up at him, he just looked ahead and kept walking, humming some tune with lidded eyes. Why wasn't he angry?

You could feel your nose scrunch up when you thought you had figured it out.

Alastor had never felt in any danger. He didn't see your violent action as a threat. That was a bit off-putting to you. What was he afraid of?

"Here we are!" He had suddenly let go, making a flamboyant motion towards a door. Your door. What?

"How do you know where my room is?" 

"Well, I'm something of a benefactor of this Hotel!" He claimed, adjusting his monocle "I am always kept up to date, darling."

Benefactor? So that's why he was here. But why? Demons do not help others out of the kindness of their own hearts.

"Uh-huh," You said, anxiously tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. You did not like that he knew where your room was.

"Well, thanks for uh- 'escorting' me." You moved past him, opening the door and slinking inside, carefully. Like skirting around a bear trap. "Goodnight."

You didn't get a chance to close it before he slammed a gloved hand on it to prevent you from doing so, the sound making you wince.

"One more thing, my dear-" Your heart nearly jumped up through your throat as you watched his face contort into something entirely new and terrifying. The eyes of the Radio Demon shifted into what looked like radio dials, his always present grin not moving as he spoke.

" _I suggest you be a bit more careful in the future, lest you hurt yourself_."

You had a terrible feeling that he wasn't concerned with you hurting yourself but rather threatening to hurt you. You were frozen in terror, eyes glued to him. Would he hurt you now?

But then it was gone. His face was back to normal. Still smiling like he hadn't just scared the shit out of you.

"Have a lovely night, sweetheart!"

And then he turned on his heel and walked away.

As you shut the door, you had a dreadful feeling that it wouldn't be the last you saw of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas!! I hope you guys are having very happy holidays :) Consider this my Christmas gift to you
> 
> I am going to be out of town for a bit but! Im gonna bring my laptop with me so I can write and keep updating when I have free-time. Hopefully.
> 
> Thank you guys again for the support! I get so excited when yall comment and leave kudos and I really really appreciate it! Thank you for reading! Stay tuned...
> 
> ((Chapter title inspired by the song "therefore i am" by Billie Eilish))
> 
> (Edit 2/18/21)  
> Laz’s look has been updated in accordance to canon! I’d like to thank ABitterRabbit for helping me in the design!! Show them some love, ya’ll <3


	6. At Least I Stole the Show

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laz makes lunch for her new friend, Angel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!!TRIGGER WARNING, TRIGGER WARNING, TRIGGER WARNING!!!
> 
> This chapter contains mentions of scars and blood.
> 
> ((Chapter title inspired by the song "Psycho" by Mia Rodriguez))

The light that shone in through the window was startling, especially considering that for a moment, you could not remember where you were and blearily began fighting with your blankets. But eventually you did remember up and leaving your apartment and coming to the Hazbin Hotel.

  
You blinked against the red light that streamed through the window, directly into your face and then groaned as you turned away from it.

  
Everything was annoying like that in Hell.

  
It had taken you a bit to actually fall asleep after stitching yourself up. The scare you had the night before obviously did not help. The comfort of a warm bed could only do so much to calm your nerves. But finally, after what felt like hours, you had drifted into a fitful sleep.

  
You remembered once, a very long time ago, you could sleep like the dead and God help anyone who tried to wake you. Those were simpler times, before care, pain and well... Hell. But now when you laid down to rest, there were always nightmares. When you had first gotten yourself thrown into the pit, they were always the same.

  
A long white hallway would stretch out before you with cold florescent lights flickering overhead. On either side of you were two people but you couldn't bring yourself to look at them, you could only stare ahead in some sort of trance. They would stop in front of a door and lead you into another white room, never addressing you.

  
There would always be a window in the room and on the other side would be people staring back with cold looks. You always wanted to scream and cry, explain why you did it. But every time, you simply look at them and let yourself be led to the gurney.

  
A team of people would strap you down and then- well...

  
You didn't like the nightmares.

  
As you went on with your life in Hell, the figures and setting in the dreams would change. The white walls turned a deep crimson. The cold stares of the people behind the window would turn into gleeful smiles of devilish co-stars and clients, giddy to see your punishment. The person excitedly strapping you down would be Velvet.

  
Hell was certainly not kind to the psyche.

  
You groaned again, the alertness of being conscious chasing away the nightmares. When you finally opened your eyes, you could only stare up at the canopy of your four poster bed, mentally tracing the floral pattern embroidered on it. You idly wondered why you? and then rolled your eyes, knowing exactly why you and why you were down here.

  
You rolled out of bed to get dressed. You were relieved to find that the stitches had worked and very little blood spotted around your bandage.

  
Looking in the mirror, you saw something that had not been there the day before. Though, it was not at all alarming to you considering you saw them all the time. Hundreds- maybe thousands, if you were pushing it- of scars littered every part of your body. Your magenta skin which usually looked so delicate, now looked rough and beaten. The scars covered your legs, torso, arms, face, everywhere. This was the price of your job. One of many.

  
Velvet was a skilled alchemist indeed and although she was hesitant to reveal any of her secrets (especially her healing potions), there was one potion she taught to every snuff star. A simple glamour. You knew the recipe by heart.

  
The industry was difficult in that, consumers loved to see people get fucked up but hated to see any remnant of that in other films. Scars are ugly, Velvet had explained to you when showing you how to make the glamour. From you first shoot to now, you took a potion every morning to avoid showing your shame.

  
You downed the thick liquid. It tasted horrible, like rubbing alcohol and sea water. You pulled a disgusted face after putting the bottle down, wishing you didn't have to take it.

  
This was the price of surviving in Hell.

  
After dressing, you made your way out of your room and to the lobby.

  
Upon entering, you were greeted by a pretty dead room. The only noise was the TV playing some stupid reality show. Angel was laying on the couch, staring at his phone and petting a small pig resting on his stomach. You felt a smile creep onto your face as you saw the little creature and made your way over to the bar.

  
"Mornin', Angel."

  
"It's like 3 pm, toots." He laughed. You shrugged.

  
"Cute pig."

  
The spider demon only hummed a response, going back to scrolling through his phone. As you sat down, you shot a look towards Husk who was nursing a bottle of beer. He didn't acknowledge your presence.

  
"I don't think I got the chance to properly introduce myself to you yesterday. I'm-" 

  
"I don't give a shit." Husk interrupted, briefly lowering the bottle.

  
_Rude_ , you thought, making a face. There were tons of people like that down in Hell but it always caught you off-guard how people didn't even try. The lobby settled back into silence as you leaned on the counter and decided to tune into the TV. That would have worked to distract you for a bit except you noticed how hungry you were. 

  
"This place got any food?" You asked, not to anyone in particular.

  
"Nope." Angel replied simply, not giving you a glance. You groaned.

  
"Where's the kitchen?" 

  
Angel pointed towards a door and you made your way over. The kitchen itself was a bit run down. Nifty had certainly made sure to clean until it was spotless but it looked rather bare besides a microwave and coffee machine. You sighed, opening a few cupboards and the fridge. They had eggs, bread, butter, cheese, some popsicles, a few spices and a half-eaten apple.

  
"Told ya they ain't got any food in this bitch." Angel had followed you shortly after, you realized. He leaned against the door-frame, arms crossed. You rolled your eyes with a smile.

  
"Are you hungry?" 

  
"You offering' to buy me dinner?"

  
"It's like 3 pm, toots." You imitated him "I'm offering to make lunch."

  
"With what?" The effeminate spider laughed.

  
"This very fancy thing called eggs with toast." You drawled sarcastically.

  
You closed the fridge with your hip after retrieving your prizes and set out collecting mismatched plates and an old pan. Angel shrugged again and entered the kitchen to watch, now leaning on a counter.

  
"I'll take that as a yes."

  
You got to work. Methodically cracking eggs and preparing toast (there was no toaster so you had to pan-fry the bread) you felt yourself relax a bit. When you heard a small oink near your feet, you looked down to see the pig that had been cuddling with angel. It was a hellish little thing, with pink and black spots and two tiny horns poking out of his head. But he was cute.

  
"Here ya go, baby." You murmured affectionately, feeding him a bit of bread.

  
"Ay, stop tryna steal my Fat Nuggets." Angel joked.

  
"Fat Nuggets!?" You laughed unabashedly "Angel Dust! You named that poor thing 'Fat Nuggets'?"

  
"Course I did!" He smiled proudly, picking up his beloved pet "A cute name for my cute little man!"

  
You shook your head as you chuckled and served up two plates of eggs and toast, seasoning them as best you could. You handed one over to Angel after he had put down Fat Nuggets.

  
"Sorry if it's not the best. I didn't have a lot to work with." You hopped up on the counter beside him with your own plate. He took one bite and it was like you could see stars light up in his eyes.

  
"Woah, babe. Where'd you learn how to cook like this?"

  
You couldn't help but smile. You had always loved cooking. Nothing was better than a home-made meal.

  
"That good, huh?" You teased.

  
"I mean-" The spider demon quickly shook off his amazement and resumed his normal unimpressed tone "It's okay, I guess."

  
You sighed softly and the two of you settled into comfortable silence, enjoying your food. As you chewed, you thought about what you needed to get done. There were a few things on the to-do list. Number one was getting a new SIM card for your phone. In your fit of packing as quickly as possible, you had thrown it out for fear that Velvet might convince some of Vox's people to track you. Number two was finding a new job since you had essentially quit. You supposed that could be done without your phone if you wanted to go pick up a newspaper. You weren't sure if people even put job ads in newspapers anymore and you'd really rather find an opening on the internet. Number three, you might as well get some groceries. There was only so much you could do with eggs and bread and you didn't mind sharing as long as the other inhabitants of the hotel didn't eat all of your food. You'd talk to Charlie or Vaggie later about their plans for keeping the kitchen stocked.

  
"I gotta go to the store. You wanna tag along?" You asked, taking the now bare plates and putting them in the sink.

  
"You goin' clothes shopping?" Angel immediately perked up, excited at the thought of a shopping trip.

  
"Nah, gonna get some groceries and then head over to Radiohack. I gotta get a new SIM card."

  
He gave you an odd look.

  
"Why do you need a new SIM card?"

  
"I threw mine out so I couldn't be tracked." You mentally slapped yourself as soon as you said it. You hadn't even thought about how suspicious that sounded before it left your mouth. He was quiet for a beat.

  
"You're in some deep shit huh, babe?"

  
"Let's talk about it later." You waved him off as you left the kitchen, nearly tripping over something.

  
"Oooooh man! I gotta clean this up!" 

  
You realized it was not something you had almost tripped over but someone.

  
"Ah fuck, sorry Nifty. I didn't see you there." You said, holding the door open for Angel.

  
"Oh! It's okay. It happens all the time!" The small demon explained as she pushed a small stool up to the sink to wash the dishes. "Alastor says if I was any smaller someone might crush me like a bug!" She said it off-handedly as though it was a funny joke a friend told her.

  
"Riiiiiight." You scrunched up your face at the mention of him. "Me and Angel are gonna go out. At least I think Angel is coming," You craned your head to look into the lobby, seeing angel putting on a pink fluffy coat and strapping Fat Nuggets into a little harness. You almost fainted at the cuteness of that damn pig.

  
"Do you mind letting Charlie know where we are if she asks?"

  
"Sure!"

  
You thanked the little demon and made your way over to the front door, preparing yourself for the task ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy new year guys! So sorry about the wait, I thought I was gonna have time to write when I was out of town but I didn't :P
> 
> This chapter was kinda hard to write! I knew what I wanted to include in it but I was unsure of how to make that all flow coherently. I think it turned out okay despite that though.
> 
> As always, thank ya'll so much for the support and kind comments :) Stay tuned...
> 
> ((Chapter title inspired by the song "Psycho" by Mia Rodriguez))


	7. I Think I Might Need a Vacation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laz and Angel go shopping

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!!TRIGGER WARNING, TRIGGER WARNING, TRIGGER WARNING!!!  
> Mentions of death.
> 
> ((Chapter title inspired by the song "Miss Negativity" by Nightclub))

It was a simple task, really. Get what you needed and get back to the hotel. At least, it would be simple if Angel weren't pushing you this way and that, urging you into different stores that you hadn't needed to go to in the first place.

It was a 15 minute walk from Radio Hack to the nearest grocery store and yet he had pulled you into four- count em'- FOUR- different clothing stores. Now you were stood next to a changing booth, waiting for the demon to hurry up so you could move on. A part of you was relieved to have someone with you- someone to provide distraction. Another part was absolutely fuming that you had spent two hours out and hadn't even picked up groceries yet.

You fiddled on your phone with one hand, testing the new SIM card. That seemed to be in working order at least. You booted up the browser and began the search for job listings. You held Fat Nuggets in your other arm like a baby, waiting for Angel to take him when he was finished.

"How do I look?" Angel strutted out from behind the curtain, making suggestive poses along the way. The outfit was about on par with what you'd expect from him, a pink corset with gold buttons and lingerie bottoms to match.

"You look great." The compliment was half-hearted. You really just wanted him to hurry up so you could get a move on. At the moment, you didn't particularly like the idea of being in the public eye. Especially considering Velvet could have people searching for you.

"Tch," Angel grimaced "What’s got your panties in a twist, toots?" 

You sighed, placing the small pig on the ground.

"I'm just tired, Angel. I wasn't expecting to spend this long out." It wasn't a total lie, at least.

He looked at you for a good amount of time, as though searching for answers and eventually shrugged, returning behind the curtain. Thankfully, he finished up soon after and the two of you were just making you way out the door.

"So," He started as you held the door open for him "You said you'd tell me what kind of shit you got yerself into."

You shifted uncomfortably as he made his way past you, wondering if there would be any way to wiggle out of this and how trustworthy Angel actually was. He juggled a few shopping bags, and the small pigs lead until eventually you took a few of the bags so he could walk down the street more comfortably.

"It's just- it's not really something you'd go telling everyone."

"You sayin’ I can't keep a secret?" He frowned.

"No! No- I just-" You paused, trying to figure out a way to say that this was a very serious situation without giving away anything.

"Listen, toots- we're in Hell, okay? I've met a bajillion fucked up people. What could you have possibly done that was so bad?"

You were silent for a bit, a frown gracing your lips.

"Have you ever hurt a client?" You said finally, deciding that perhaps it would be good to have someone on your side. As far as you knew, Angel was no longer working for Valentino. He had been out of the studio for a good chunk of time, from what you’d heard. You were unsure of the circumstances, but maybe it would work in your favor to have someone by your side, who understood the challenges of working under the Triple V.

"Oh yeah, hundreds of times. Some guys are super into that shit."

"I mean-" Your hand nervously flew up to adjust the sunglasses you had donned "Like _really_ hurt a client. Not chains and whips shit."

The spider demon made a face.

"The fuck did'ja do, babe? Did ya kill a guy or some shit?"

You were silent as you processed that very loaded question in a panic. You hadn’t thought about the possibility that instead of maiming the guy- you had killed him. Up until this moment, you didn’t think it was even possible to kill someone in Hell. But then, remembering the sting of that odd blade and knowing the wound that still rested below your rib cage…

Hold on- did that mean it would have killed you? You bit your lip, brows furrowed. None of this was making sense. It shouldn’t have been possible. Not by any means you knew of, at least.

"Hold up- stop."

Angel stopped walking abruptly. Looking around, you noticed that you had finally arrived at the grocery store. Small blessings at least. Your demon companion looked floored and then frustrated, palming his face with one delicate gloved hand.

"You killed a fuckin' client?"

"Keep your voice down!" You pleaded, scanning the area. No one seemed to be paying attention to the two of you.

"I don't- I don't think I did?" You were now juggling the bags around as a way to calm yourself, voice a desperate whisper "I'm not sure. I didn’t think it was possible for one demon to kill another."

"God damn, girly. I knew something was up with you but jesus christ."

You couldn’t help the frown that had settled on your face, a feeling of immediate regret at telling Angel was slithering its way into your stomach. He sighed, looking annoyed more than anything.

"Okay, here’s what were gonna do-" Wait, _we_? "We're gonna talk about this more later okay? But for now, let’s get your shit and get out. God damn, I wish you woulda told me this shit before we went out."

After that, you we're both quick with the shopping. Angel did get yelled at for bringing Fat Nuggets into the store, but he simply responded by flipping of the manager. To which the manager just deadpanned, shrugged and walked away.

  
  
You picked out some basic ingredients, pasta, vegetables, milk, things like that. You figured that it would be a while before you could safely leave the hotel again so you might as well stock up. Even being out now seemed like a risk. You felt that at any moment someone could recognize you.

Although snuff was definitely not as mainstream as porn, one would be surprised at the number of consumers. Or perhaps not, considering you were literally in the place where all the worst people go when they die. You weren't recognized as much as someone like Angel Dust or other porn actors, but it did happen once in a blue moon. Every time you passed a demon, your mind would race.

_Do they know me? Are they working for Velvet?_

But finally, you had gathered all your treasures and made your way to check out, Angel in tow. It wasn't long before you both stood on the sidewalk, waiting for a taxi you had called.

You felt relieved as you watched the yellow cab pull up. Finally, you could have a moment of peace when you got back to the hotel and begin your search for a new (and much less draining) job. Or at least you hoped you could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so first of all, we passed 1000 hits??? Wild, yall are crazy, thank you so much <3333
> 
> Secondly, after the recent Helluva Boss episode, I’ve updated and changed Laz a bit, with the help of the lovely user ABitterRabbit!! Show them some love, they have been super helpful and kind!! When I saw the episode, I went apeshit cause verosika literally looks like laz but with white hair lol so she has been changed up a bit! She is no longer a succubi (since succubi are hellborn) she just looks a lot like one!
> 
> I hope this chapter was okay. It was a super short one but im kinda trying to regain my footing since i stopped for a bit. I had to take a break from writing due to some pretty heavy stuff that was going on in my life. But we’re back now! Its so weird how you leave writing for a month or two and come back and it literally feels like you have no idea how to do it anymore lol so I hope this chapter doesn’t feel off. Don’t worry! Were gonna get some drama pretty soon lol
> 
> Theres also a blog now!! You can send any art, questions, ect that you like to it :) it can be found here:
> 
> https://thedevilsgonnamakemeafreeman.tumblr.com/
> 
> Once again thank yall so much for reading! It means the world to me and im so excited for yall to come on this journey with me. As always, criticisms are welcome and encouraged! Stay tuned…
> 
> ((Chapter title inspired by the song "Miss Negativity" by Nightclub))


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